


Shelter After Rain

by minikawa



Category: Monster (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, oc is a dork who can't spit his feelings out for 10 years, or at least my attempts at slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-14 21:47:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21022757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minikawa/pseuds/minikawa
Summary: Tenma never expected to run into an old friend during his mission to find Johan. Malik Winter opens his home to the surgeon-turned-fugitive, and the two reminisce on how much their lives have changed through the years. But while Winter wishes to rebuild the bridge between them, Tenma knows he cannot stay in this temporary shelter for long...





	1. How not to spend your friday night

  
  


This was not how Malik Winter had planned on spending his Friday night. Doubled over, Winter staggered across the dingy alleyway, clutching at his bruised side. A warm and sticky wetness was forming underneath his hand, pooling in between his fingers. Every breath sent a flare of excruciating pain all over his abdomen. And to make things worse, it had started to rain. 

It always seemed that whenever he made plans for a perfect night out, life or fate or whatever thought it would be funny to crumple up said plans and toss them into the trash can like a basketball. This was definitely one of those nights. All he wanted was a fun little night on the town: grab a drink, dance and maybe somebody home. But with the way he was bleeding out right now, Winter grimly doubted he could actually  _ make it _ home at all. 

He shivered. The rain pelted mercilessly at his skin, and he coughed. One tiny cough was all it took to take the man down. His side seared as the coughs rattled his wounds. Winter groaned, stumbling to his knees into a puddle. 

So this was the end. Half drunk, bleeding, and soaked to the bone. All that was left was for an angel to swoop him away and carry him into the Light-

“Sir? What happened?”

Oh shit. Winter could hear the sloshing of footsteps running through puddles heading his way. He grunted as he clumsily staggered back onto his feet. 

“D-Don’t worry about it,” he panted. “I-I’m okay, j-just had a little accident-”

His side seared again, and Winter’s legs gave out beneath him. He gave a sharp gasp, bracing himself to hit the wet pavement a second time.

He fell into somebody’s arms instead. 

“You’re bleeding...We need to get you to a hospital.”

Winter hissed in pain, and yet he forced a smile. “No, really, I’m alright.” He forced his eyes open, meeting the face of the stranger at his rescue. He could make out wavy black hair, a strong jawline, and concerned eyes. Winter’s forced smile faded, not from the pain but from recognition. The other man blinked in surprise, familiarity flashing in his features.

His hair was different...it was longer and messier, but the waves across his forehead were still the same. The shape of his nose was the same too. His jawline was the same. And those concerned, kind eyes did not seem to change at all.

“...Tenma?”

  
  



	2. You had me in stitches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tenma tends to Winter's injuries, while Winter tries not to die from blood loss...or embarrassment

“I’ll need to see that wound.”

Winter blinked. He sat at the small kitchen table, soaking wet from the rain. He smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his damp hair. 

“I, uh, I’ll be fine. Honest,” he chuckled through chattering teeth. “It’s just a scratch...I think.”

The ‘scratch’ begged to differ, as yet another sharp stab of pain seared his side. Winter hissed.

Without hesitation, Tenma rushed to Winter’s aid, lowering on one knee to examine the bloody stain soaking through Winter’s shirt. His eyebrows furrowed. 

“If you won’t let me drive you to a hospital, then at least let me examine your injuries,” he said. “You’re losing blood. And if the bleeding doesn’t get to you, possible infections will.”

Had he always been this grim? Winter wondered. He smiled crookedly to himself. As a doctor, Tenma had never shied away from such grotesque subjects. Still, Winter remembered how his old friend could make even the bleakest medical disaster bearable with his determination and calm demeanor. 

“Winter?”

Winter blinked again, snapping out of his reverie. Tenma was giving him that signature worried look of his again. 

Okay, looks like the blood loss is making me all dazed. Not a scratch after all, huh…

Winter sighed, fidgeting gingerly with the hem of his t-shirt. “Okay, fine, just...nevermind. Here we go.” 

His hands shook as he slowly unbuttoned his wet shirt, and he knew that the shaking wasn’t just from the cold. The soaked fabric had clung to his cold skin. Removing it from the wound felt like ripping off a leech. He fought back a pained squeak as he exposed the wound...and his bare abdomen. 

Tenma’s eyes narrowed as he examined the injury. “You were stabbed, weren’t you?”

“Aw gee, how did you know?” Winter grinned crookedly, not meeting Tenma’s gaze. Although his skin was still cold, his cheeks flushed with warmth. 

Oh God. He was shirtless in his apartment kitchen in front of Kenzo Tenma. 

Self consciousness erased any sensation of agony from the stab wound. The kitchen was silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the old clock hanging on the wall. Winter didn’t know whether he was going to die from blood loss or from the embarrassment. 

“Fortunately, the wound isn’t so deep,” Tenma said. “The knife had only punctured the skin and missed anything vital. I’m going to have to clean the wound to prevent infection, and stitch it up to stop the bleeding. Do you happen to have some kind of thread in your apartment?”

Winter nodded, still keeping his gaze to the floor. “Y-Yeah...check the kitchen cabinet. Should have a kit there.”

“Okay. I need you to apply pressure on the wound while I grab my supplies.” Tenma gently took Winter’s hand in his own, placing it on his abdomen just above the injury. Winter looked down at Tenma’s hand on top of his own, and his throat went dry. He felt dizzy.

“Stay with me now, Winter.”

~

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a hospital?”

Ugh, those worried eyes again. Winter lay back on the living room sofa, a thick blanket draped over him. The fresh stitches in his side stung and pricked at his skin, and he fought the urge to scratch at them. He coughed, clearing his dry throat. 

“I’ll be okay, there are people who’ll need the attention more than I do,” Winter said. “Besides, I found you, didn’t I?”

For the first time since their reunion, Tenma smiled. A small and tired smile, but it was still enough to make Winter’s stomach flip.

“Still...it’s better if you see a real doctor.”

“Hey, being a wanted fugitive doesn’t make you any less of a doctor, doesn’t it?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! Winter immediately regretted the remark. That was insensitive of him. He burrowed further into his blankets, giving Tenma a rather pathetic, apologetic look. The former surgeon looked surprised at the remark, yet not offended. He only smiled sadly. 

“Do you, um...have a place to stay?” Winter asked. Tenma shrugged. 

“I do what I can.” 

The rain came down hard against the window. 

“You know…” Winter said, swallowing. “You could stay with me for a while...until we figure out your situation.”

Tenma’s eyes widened, and he blinked in surprise. “Oh! Thank you, Winter, but you don’t have to worry about it. I’ve managed this long, I’ll be okay.”

Thunder clapped outside. The winds howled and wailed louder outside.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Winter said. “Please...I owe you this much. I don’t think I’d have made it if you hadn’t swooped down and saved me.” He chuckled, then coughed as the stitches flared again. 

“You’ll be safe here. I promise.”

The room went quiet again. Tenma looked away, unsure. Winter silently studied his friend’s face, silently noting how much he had changed since they last saw each other: Tenma’s jawline had gotten sharper, thinned out from the years. Dark shadows circled his eyes, and deep lines etched into his skin. 

When was the last time he slept a full night through? Or ate a proper meal? When was the last time he felt safe at all?

“Well...if you’re not going to a hospital, then you’ll need someone to help supervise that injury,” Tenma said tentatively. He looked back at Winter, his eyes crinkling as he gave him a grateful smile. Winter returned the smile, yawning as the exhaustion finally seeped in. 

“Looks like we’ll be taking care of each other then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Re-uploaded! I got super embarrassed about my writing earlier, but then I had a major bruh moment @ myself sooooo here it is! Here's to a fresh start!
> 
> Also, Happy Thanksgiving, my loves!


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